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Student accommodation group Unite delivered strong first half progress in both revenues and profits.

The group has 10 halls of residence in Liverpool, providing almost 3,400 bed spaces, and last October it announced an £80m joint investment in two new sites in Liverpool and Aberdeen which, together, will create 1,250 new bed spaces when they open in time for the 2017/18 academic year.

Overall, Unite now offers 45,000 bed spaces, compared with 43,000 at the end of December, 2014.

Today’s results for the six months to June 30 showed total revenues of £141.8m, up from £57.9m, which includes property sales and other income of £90.2m compared with £12.9m the previous year.

Pre-tax profits of £227.3m were up from £44.6m.

Today’s figures reveal that Unite’s Stratford City property was sold for £82m in March.

The report also states that Unite is on track to achieve like-for-like rental growth of between 3.5% and 4% for the full year, which is up from 3.3% for 2014.

And it claims the group is well positioned for growth as student numbers are expected to rise to record levels for 2015/16, driven by the removal of the UK/EU student number cap and sustained non-EU international demand.

Unite said 90% of rooms have been reserved by August 3, compared with 85% at the same point the previous year, at levels supportive of 3.5% to 4% rental growth for the full year.

Chief executive Mark Allan said: “Throughout the first half of 2015 we have continued to deliver against our three key strategic priorities: to be the most trusted brand in our sector; to operate the highest quality portfolio; and to maintain the strongest capital structure.

“As a result, we are delighted to report another set of strong results.

“Building on a period of consistent strong performance, the group remains well placed to deliver sustainable growth in the years ahead.

“Market conditions are supportive of rising demand, rents and capital values; our development pipeline and expertise positions us to add materially to both recurring earnings and NAV (net asset value); our portfolio is focused on stronger universities; and our highly scalable operating platform and strong brand leaves us well placed to extend our market leading position.”